Trenches formed in semiconductor substrates, e.g., silicon, filled with an insulating material, such as polyimide, for electrically isolating devices, e.g., transistors in integrated circuits have been known to provide significant device or transistor density improvements over other known isolation techniques. However, it has been found that some devices when isolated by a trench encounter reliability problems, such as undesirable variable current-voltage (I-V) characteristics.
The trench technology has been disclosed in, e.g., IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, Vol. 23, No. 11 April, 1981, pp. 4917-4919 which teaches filling a trench with silicon dioxide and silicon nitride. Filling a V-groove trench with polyimide is taught in IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, Vol. 17, No. 10 March, 1975, pp. 2893-2894.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,385,729, filed on Oct. 25, 1964, by G. A. Larchian, discloses an isolation trench having a sidewall covered first with a layer of silicon dioxide and then with a layer of silicon nitride, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,242,156, filed on Oct. 15, 1979, by J. L. Peel, teaches the formation of a silicon nitride layer over a silicon dioxide layer on a sidewall to prevent oxide breakdown.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,048,649, filed on Feb. 6, 1976, by R. Bohn, there is shown a base of a transistor butted against a V-groove trench lined with a layer of silicon dioxide on which is formed a layer of silicon nitride, and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,174,252, filed on July 26, 1978, by H. Kressel et al, there is disclosed an emitter of a transistor protected on a sidewall by a layer of oxygen doped polysilicon over which is formed a layer of silicon nitride with a contact opening formed in the central portion of the top surface of the emitter.
An emitter of a transistor butted against a silicon dioxide region with an emitter contact overlapping the silicon dioxide region is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,110,779, filed on Dec. 13, 1976, by R. Rathbone et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,115,797 filed Oct. 4, 1976, by H. K. Hingarh et al discloses a lateral PNP transistor with an N+ diffusion region defining the N dopant concentration in the PNP base region.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,137,109 filed Feb. 3, 1977, by J. G. Aiken et al discloses trench isolation sidewalls butted by heavily doped channel stop P+ regions. The sidewall channel stops prevent surface inversion leakage.
Commonly assigned co-pending patent application having Ser. No. 468,442, filed Oct. 5, 1983, by D. G. Chesebro and F. J. Soychak, teaches a process and structure, which includes an emitter butted to a trench, wherein shorting of the emitter is avoided.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,076,556 filed June 1, 1976, by J. Agraz-Guerena et al, discloses an N+ region at the surface of a semiconductor substrate within an N base region of a lateral PNP transistor for improving the electrical characteristics of the lateral transistor.